Five fitness strategies for a fat-free summer

The benefits of cardiovascular exercise are extensive, especially during a fat-loss program.
/ Postmedia News

Sometimes the right nutritional supplements can be invaluable to ensuring your body gets the fuel it needs for training and recovery.
/ Postmedia News

I know there are people out there who are as lean as they want to be, but I believe that the vast majority of individuals who are exercising (and especially those who aren’t) would be happy to be to lose a few pounds of body fat.

I’ve decided to drop roughly 10 pounds of fat over the next four to five weeks and I thought it might help others if I share the experience.

My life revolves around fitness, both personally and professionally, and it’s important for me to stay fit and healthy. For my own peace of mind, and credibility with my clients, this includes maintaining a healthy body composition.

Most of the time I carry a relatively low level of body fat. I’m not what I would consider “ripped” all the time, but I feel the amount of fat on my body is acceptable and healthy.

Sometimes, however, there’s a need to modify my training plan and drop some extra weight. This is one of those times.

In early July I’m committed to a magazine photo shoot where I’ll be demonstrating one of my signature conditioning exercises. To me, this is a great reason to shake things up a bit and get as lean as possible in the time available.

I want to do this in a safe and sustainable manner, so I’m not going to be fasting or cleansing or anything too extreme. I just plan to drop two or three pounds of fat each week before the shoot, which I know is very achievable for me.

As I plan my month, there are a number of key factors that will help me to be successful, and I feel that this information will help many of you.

Ultimately it would be great to hear from hundreds of readers that they too have dropped five or 10 pounds by working along with me.

To be sure you stay safe and healthy, always get medical approval before beginning or modifying a fitness program.

FOOD IS FUEL

This principle is critical to my fat-burning success. There are many different eating strategies for fat loss, but I know what works for me.

I’ll be diligent about eating all of my daily food in five or six small meals, evenly spaced about three to four hours apart, with no snacks in between. I’ll start as soon as I get up in the morning, and have the last meal just before bed. Every meal will contain some protein, so I make sure to maintain my muscle mass.

Personally, because of my busy schedule and activity level, I’ll use a variety of quality supplements to achieve optimal nutrition.

STEP UP THE STRENGTH

I lose the most body fat when I hit the gym hard.

Resistance training with high intensity helps me to stimulate and maintain my muscle mass even when I’m in a negative caloric balance and my body is losing weight.

Even if you don’t have access to a gym you can do this with body-weight exercises.

I also burn a lot of calories when I’m strength training, which is great for fat loss.

COMMIT TO CARDIO

Although cardio training isn’t something that I find stimulating, there’s no doubt that the extra caloric expenditure and the cardiovascular benefits of endurance exercise are important.

Over the next month I’ll be adding regular cardio workouts to my plan, which will include running, cycling and hiking the Grouse Grind.

As much as possible I’ll do these cardio sessions first thing in the morning, before I have my breakfast, to maximize the utilization of fat as the primary fuel source. My goal will be 40-60 minutes, three times per week.

MAXIMIZE YOUR METABOLISM

Another important consideration when I’m trying to reduce my body fat levels is always to consider what’s happening with my metabolism. The more calories my body burns during exercise and at rest, the better.

This is why I want to make sure I’m constantly stimulating and elevating my metabolism by eating and training more frequently, consuming plenty of liquids and getting enough sleep to maximize my post-workout recovery.

OVERCOME OBSTACLES

There are always going to be challenges and obstacles to achieving your goals. The key is commitment and resilience.

The small achievements, like avoiding that dessert, or pushing yourself to exercise even when it’s raining, will add up to big rewards.

As much as possible, try to establish a support system to help you through these challenges. Make commitments to yourself and to others that will help keep you motivated and on track.

Right now I have a few clients who are also focused on losing fat, and we’re working together for our shared success.

Rob Williams is a kinesiologist and posture specialist in downtown Vancouver.

Related Posts

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.